A thesis documents original research or creative activity carried out by a student enrolled in a master’s program. A research thesis is characterized by a clearly stated proposition or hypothesis that is investigated using analysis and synthesis of data or other scholarly evidence; the thesis must include a discussion of the relevant literature and demonstrate the ability of the student to independently and successfully address a significant intellectual problem with concepts and methods that are accepted in the major field of study. A creative thesis includes works of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction and is associated with the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program.

Thesis Proposal: A thesis proposal must be approved in advance by the supervisory committee. The thesis proposal presents the background, objectives, scope, methods, and time lines of the thesis research. Substantive work done by the student prior to the appointment of the supervisory committee or work represented by credit other than 593 Thesis (such as 596 Independent Study and 696 Directed Research) is not acceptable for the thesis under any conditions.

Final Thesis Approvals and Procedures: A thesis that has been successfully defended by the student at the final oral examination must be approved in final form by all members of the supervisory committee and by the dean of the Graduate College. The thesis in final form must also conform to the standards of the Graduate College as determined by the thesis and dissertation editor. Because the thesis is expected to be available to other scholars and to the general public, the entire thesis must be archived in the university library. The student should refer to Preparation and Submission of Theses, Projects, and Dissertations in the Graduate Academic Regulations section.

Registration for Thesis Credit: A master’s student who is engaged in thesis activity during any semester or term, including the semester or term of the final oral examination and the semester or term in which the two archival copies of the thesis are submitted to the Graduate College, must register for at least one credit of 593 Thesis, regardless of the number of 593 Thesis credits already accumulated by the student.

Thesis Grading: All 593 Thesis credits are graded in progress (IP) until a final grade of either pass (P) or fail (F) is assigned by the academic unit responsible for the program. A grade of pass (P) is assigned to all 593 credits if the final oral examination is passed, the thesis in final form is fully approved, and the student has met all procedural requirements related to the thesis. A grade of fail (F) is assigned to all 593 credits if the student fails the final oral examination.

Preparation and Submission of Theses

A student must follow the publication standards of the Graduate College for dissertations and theses as given in a manual entitled Standards for Preparation of Dissertations, Theses, and Projects in the Graduate College (available in the Boise State University Bookstore). Academic units may also choose these standards on a programmatic basis for the format and archival of master’s projects (see Project in the Regulations for Master’s Programs section). A student should consult with the chair of his or her supervisory committee or his or her advisor on matters of form and style such as abbreviations, figures, tables, footnotes, references, and bibliography. Many academic units have adopted a style manual that is appropriate to the major field of study. The final draft of a dissertation or thesis (or project if required to meet Graduate College standards by the academic unit) must be reviewed by the dissertation and thesis editor of the Graduate College. Documents that do not conform to the standards of the Graduate College will be returned to the student. When the document is fully approved by the editor, the student must provide two archival copies to be retained by the university that are printed on 25% cotton fiber paper. Receipt of these copies in the Graduate College must occur no later than the deadline published in the academic calendar (about five weeks before the expected date of graduation). The academic unit may also require the student to provide a fully approved archival copy on 25% cotton fiber paper.